Updated 9:00 pm, Wednesday, March 24, 2004

In what has become a yearly event, the Washington Democrat said the Senate would be irresponsible if it agreed to compensate victims without moving to ban widely available products such as brakes shoes, roofing material and even potting soil that contain cancer-causing asbestos.

"It is unconscionable that so many innocent victims have died because they were exposed to a product that they were told was safe. But it is even more disturbing that our government continues to allow asbestos to be imported into this country and used in everyday products at home," Murray said at a news conference. She was accompanied by Democratic Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Mark Dayton of Minnesota, as well as a roomful of asbestos victims.

Murray's bill, which she first introduced in 2001, calls for a complete ban of asbestos in products within two years after it becomes law. It also would provide for more research into the causes and treatment of asbestos-related cancers and require the federal government to conduct a more aggressive campaign to educate the public about the risks of asbestos.

As she has before, Murray said most people believe asbestos had been banned long ago and have no idea that the substance that has been linked to several types of cancer is present in such a broad array of products. Asbestos is banned in more than 30 countries.

Senate Republican leaders said they hope to bring up the compensation bill by the end of April. It includes Murray's ban on asbestos but omits the other provisions. Even with that development, Murray -- and many other Democrats -- oppose the compensation bill because they say it does not have enough money to cover all victims.

The legislation would create a $114 billion trust fund to pay victims of asbestos disease. Insurance companies would finance the fund along with companies that mine asbestos or make products with it that have been sued. In return, the companies would escape the crushing weight of asbestos litigation. More than 600,000 cases have already been filed, forcing more than 60 companies to declare bankruptcy.

Murray and other critics insist the fund is too small to cover all the victims, its guidelines for who qualifies for payments are too restrictive and its proposed payments are too small. The bill calls for a top payment of $1 million for the most serious diseases, with lesser amounts for less severe ailments.

Murray says the fund should have at least $150 billion.

Asbestos kills 10,000 people a year, the Environmental Working Group found in a report issued this month. The estimate was based on federal health statistics. Mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable cancer caused by asbestos, is the most lethal of the ailments.

Bret Williams, a physician from North Carolina, demonstrated how random and common the threat is. Williams has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, even though he never smoked. "I jogged 25 miles per week and was in excellent health. ... I have never worked in a shipyard or refinery," he said.

Williams said he grew up in an old house, spent time in a school that were being renovated and used vermiculite in his garden that probably contained asbestos.

"My exposure demonstrates how commonplace this toxic substance is in our lives," he said.